Kentucky springs into action: Intel on coveted QB, OL targets after visits
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It’s the day before spring break for the Kentucky coaching staff and they’re spending it hosting top recruits in the 2027 and 2028 class.
Rivals had reaction from some of the coveted prospects that were in on Thursday. Read that here.
Reaction continues to come in on Friday. It’s a group headlined by the Rivals300’s No. 2 quarterback Jake Nawrot and No. 3 rated passer Israel Abrams. Nawrot arrived on Thursday with Abrams getting in Friday morning.
“It was great!” Nawrot stated. “Loved being around those coaches and their complex brains. I definitely learned a ton and am very interested in the program.”
Nawrot believes he can flourish at Kentucky.
“Just the offense and the scheme, I thought it’s a great system and very NFL-style pro football. The facilities and stadium were super cool and the SEC is different for sure.”
The latest below.
Ish Camara raves about the Wildcats
Gilmer (Texas) High’s ballyhooed offensive lineman Ismael Camara spent the day at Kentucky reconnecting with Stein and offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich. The Camara camp and Stein and Leftwich have known each other for years dating back to both of them being at North Texas. Leftwich was one of Camara’s first offers.
“It was a great visit to Lexington, and it was my first time in Kentucky. It is really a nice part of the country. I am on Spring Break, so it is nice to travel and see some things. This country is enormous. If I drive 13 hours in Europe, I cross like 6 or 7 countries. It is a good experience for me to see new things and places I have never been.
“Coach Stein and Coach Leftwich are very close to me since I first arrived almost two years ago. Coach Leftwich offered me at UNT, then at Oregon, and then at Kentucky. And we always say Coach Stein in a Gilmer Buckeye just without the diploma. He coached at Texas and UTSA with Coach Jeff and Kurt Traylor (Gilmer graduates and long time Texas High School Coaches) and Coach Turner (former Gilmer Head Coach). And I know a lot of the other coaches and players.
“They are just getting rolling and I got to watch a familiar practice. Coach Stein’s offense is my offense in Gilmer and we practice the same way. Everything was brand new as far as the school, but the people and the process are very familiar to me. It is like playing a PS5 game on a different TV monitor. Same software, just new hardware.
“I have always said that my decision will come down to the people and feeling at home with everything. UK is only new to me in terms of geography.
“I will be back before my process is finished. There are still a lot of details for me to work through no matter where I end up, but I am excited for Big Blue nation because Coach Stein is one of their own, but he is also one of ours. bEastTexas is like a big football family, and we have a lot of family in Kentucky now.”
Prized offensive line target talks Kentucky
Jackson (Miss.) Callaway offensive tackle Li’Marcus Jones was back at Kentucky for the second time this calendar year. He arrived on Thursday and wrapped up Friday.
“The visit to Kentucky today was really good,” Jones said. “The biggest thing for me was just getting around the staff more and seeing how they run everything day-to-day. The facilities were great and the atmosphere around the program felt real family-oriented.
“One of my big takeaways was how serious they are about developing their offensive linemen and getting them ready for the next level. They spent time breaking down each and every drill. You can tell they going to be something special this year.”
Kentucky is battling the likes of Colorado, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Purdue to sign Jones who ranks as the Rivals Industry’s No. 30 offensive tackle.
“UK is most definitely one of my top schools,” he said.
2028 Wildcats buzz
Kentucky is getting ahead with talented rising juniors.
+ “The visit was great,” the nation’s No. 4 cornerback Braylen Bedford said. “Loved it. The big takeaways were the attention to detail and urgency the players and coaches had at practice.”
+ “My visit to Kentucky went extremely well,” Rivals No. 4 safety Grayden Reid said. “I learned a lot about the practice structure, fast tempo and how they operate as a program. The staff was very impressed by my measurements. Coach Stein told me I’m the top recruit in the 2028 class. His upmost priority is to keep me home.”
Stay tuned throughout the day for updates to the story.
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